U.S. patent number 4,483,586 [Application Number 06/445,570] was granted by the patent office on 1984-11-20 for safety spacer.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Kommandiittiyhtio B. Herrmans Kommanditbolag. Invention is credited to Konstantin Sisto.
United States Patent |
4,483,586 |
Sisto |
November 20, 1984 |
Safety spacer
Abstract
The invention relates to a safety spacer for a bicycle, having
an arm one end of which has a reflector and the opposite end of
which is fastened to a two-part split member by means of a shaft.
The parts of the split member, when assembled, form a shouldered
circular circumference. The safety spacer also comprises two
fastening lugs which, when pressed together, form therebetween on
the one hand a cavity with a shouldered circular circumference for
receiving the parts of the split member and for attaching the same
and on the other hand a circular aperture for attaching the safety
spacer to a tube in a bicycle. The arm can be swiveled and pivoted
freely, and all the parts of the safety spacer can be linked
together and attached to a bicycle by means of one single
screw.
Inventors: |
Sisto; Konstantin (Tampere,
FI) |
Assignee: |
Kommandiittiyhtio B. Herrmans
Kommanditbolag (Pedersore, FI)
|
Family
ID: |
8514939 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/445,570 |
Filed: |
November 30, 1982 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
359/550;
280/288.4; 116/35A |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62J
6/20 (20130101); E04F 21/32 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04F
21/32 (20060101); E04F 21/00 (20060101); G42B
005/12 (); B64Q 001/32 (); B62J 005/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;350/97,99 ;116/35A,173
;248/229,230,231.6 ;280/289R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Arnold; Bruce Y.
Assistant Examiner: Propp; William
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Schwartz, Jeffery, Schwaab, Mack,
Blumenthal & Koch
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bicycle reflector comprising:
an arm;
a reflector at one end of the arm;
a pivot shaft, which is substantially plane parallel with the
reflector, at the opposite end of the arm;
a split member comprising two parts adapted to receive the end of
the arm opposite said reflector, at least one part having an
aperture or depression for receiving the pivot shaft, and wherein
said parts when assembled comprise an annular groove; and
a splittable fastening means comprising two fastening lugs forming
therebetween a cavity, said cavity comprising a radially inwardly
projecting annular ridge for rotatably engaging with the annular
groove of the split member.
2. The bicycle reflector according to claim 1, further comprising
an aperture at the end of the arm opposite said reflector for
mounting the pivot shaft.
3. The bicycle reflector according to claim 2, wherein said parts
of the split member are shaped in such a way that one part has a
pivot shaft and the other part has an aperture or depression for
receiving the pivot shaft.
4. The bicycle reflector according to claim 3, further comprising a
resilient lock at the end of the pivot shaft, wherein one part of
the split member has an aperture or depression having a shoulder,
wherein the lock, when snapping over said shoulder, is adapted to
lock the parts, and wherein the end of the arm opposite said
reflector, through which the pivot shaft has been fitted, is
pivotably attached between the shafts.
5. The bicycle reflector according to claim 1, wherein the arm is
made of a resilient material, and wherein the end of the arm
opposite said reflector has a polygonal shape and its side plane
forms a contact surface with the rear surface of the inner part of
the split member, so that the arm can be locked in several
different fixed positions.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Finnish Patent Application No. 793473 relates to a safety spacer
comprising an arm at one end of which there is a flat reflector and
at the opposite end a fastening device which allows the arm to be
swiveled and pivoted and comprises a fastening member attachable to
a bicycle and, connected to it, a swiveling articulation member to
which the arm can be pivotably attached by means of a pivot shaft
which is substantially plane parallel with the reflector.
In this known arrangement the articulation member consists of one
angle piece to which the arm and the fastening member are attached
at different points by means of swivel shafts in such a way that
these shafts are perpendicular to each other. On the bearing
surfaces between the angle piece and the fastening member there are
shoulders radial in relation to the swivel shaft and grooves
corresponding to the shoulders, in order to lock the parts so that
they cannot swivel. The articulation between the angle piece and
the arm is freely swiveling friction joint.
The disadvantages of the above-mentioned safety spacer, known from
Finnish Patent Application No. 793473, include the facts that two
screws or similar fasteners are required for fastening all the
parts of the spacer to a bicycle and that the shoulders formed on
the above-mentioned bearing surfaces are susceptible to mechanical
wear. The fact that the joint between the angle piece and the arm
loosens with time constitutes a further disadvantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a safety spacer
which is easy and rapid to fasten to a bicycle and which has a long
useful life. A further object is to provide a safety spacer the arm
of which can be turned to several different fixed positions.
This invention provides safety spacers having an arm; a flat
reflector at one end of the arm; and means at the opposite end of
the arm for attaching it to a bicycle, in which the means comprise:
a pivot shaft, which is substantially plane parallel with the
reflector; a split member comprising two parts adapted to receive
the opposite end of the arm therebetween, at least one part having
an aperture or depression for receiving the pivot shaft protruding
from the opposite end of the arm or from the other part through an
aperture in the opposite end, said parts, when assembled, having a
shouldered circular circumference; and splittable fastening means
comprising two fastening lugs forming therebetween a cavity with a
shouldered circular circumference for receiving the parts of the
split member and for attaching the same so that it can swivel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a side view of one spacer according to the
invention,
FIG. 2 depicts a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of the
fastening device of the safety spacer shown in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 depicts the fastening device of FIG. 2, exploded,
FIG. 4 depicts the fastening device of FIG. 2, as seen from above,
and
FIG. 5 depicts the joint part of the fastening device according to
FIG. 2, as seen towards the arm.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The safety spacer includes an oblong, primarily bar-like arm 6, at
one end of which there is a flat reflector 9 and at the opposite
end a fastening device 10. The fastening device 10 comprises
splittable fastening means 1, 2 to be fastened to a bicycle, and
swivellably attached to said means a split member 3, 4, to which
the arm 6 can be pivotably attached by means of a pivot shaft 3a.
The pivot shaft 3a is substantially plane parallel with the
reflector 9.
The split member comprises two parts 3, 4 adapted to receive the
opposite end of the arm 6 therebetween. The shape of the parts 3, 4
depends on the structure of the opposite end of the arm 6. If there
is a bearing aperture 6a at the opposite end of the arm, part 3 or
4 has a pivot shaft 3a, which is fitted through the bearing
aperture 6a, and the other part 4 or 3 has an aperture or a
depression for receiving the pivot shaft 3a. If, on the other hand,
the opposite end of the arm has a pivot shaft 3a, each part 3, 4
has an aperture or depression for receiving the pivot shaft 3a. The
pivot shaft 3a may also be a separate part which can be fitted
through the bearing aperture 6a. In one preferred embodiment of the
invention, there is a resilient lock 3b at the end of the pivot
shaft 3a, and part 4 has an aperture or depression having a
shoulder, in which case the lock 3b, when snapping over this
shoulder, combines the parts 3, 4 and the arm 6 into one whole. If
the pivot shaft 3a has two free ends, each of them may have a
resilient lock 3b.
The fastening means comprise two fastening lugs 1, 2, which, when
pressed together, form an aperture 2a therebetween for receiving a
bar of the bicycle. If the diameter of such a bar is smaller than
the aperture 2a, a resilient inner sleeve is used as an aid in
fastening. The fastening lugs are fastened together by known
fastening methods, preferably using screw fastening 5. The
fastening means preferably comprise two separate fastening lugs 1,
2, but the fastening lugs 1, 2 may also comprise one piece made
from a resilient material, in which case the aperture 2a is formed
when the ends of this piece are pressed together.
The parts 3, 4 of the split member, when assembled, form a
shouldered circular circumference 4b, and the fastening lugs 1, 2,
when pressed together, form therebetween a cavity with a shouldered
circular circumference 1a for receiving parts 3, 4 and for
attaching the same swivellably. This outer surface 4b can be a
flange or it can have a hemispherical or spherical shape, and the
inner surface 1a has a corresponding shape.
One safety spacer according to the invention is attached to a
bicycle, either to the carrier or anywhere else, to a horizontal,
vertical or inclined tube as follows:
The shaft 3a of the part 3 of the split member is fitted through
the bearing aperture 6a of the arm 6 of the safety spacer and is
pressed against part 4, to which it is fastened by a resilient lock
3b, in which case the rear of parts 3, 4 forms a circular flange 4b
having a shoulder. The fastening lugs 1, 2 are fastened together by
means of the screw 5. The flange 4b is placed in the groove 1a, and
the aperture 2a of the fastening lugs is mounted on some tube in
the bicycle. The screw 5 is tightened slightly. Thereafter the arm
6 is pivoted in relation to the above-mentioned tube and is
swiveled in relation to the flange 4b, in such a say that the arm 6
settles in a horizontal position and the plane of the reflector
settles in a vertical position. Thereafter, the screw 5 is
tightened completely.
The embodiment described above shows that only one screw is
required for fastening all the parts of the safety spacer to a
bicycle.
One embodiment according to the invention allows the arm 6 to be
pivoted on the shaft 3a to several different fixed positions. This
is made possible by the shape of the opposite end of the arm, i.e.
its polygonal, preferably hexagonal, shape (FIG. 4). The resulting
plurality of side planes 7a are illustrated in FIG 3. The
particular plane 7a which corresponds to a given position of arm 6
rests against the rear surface 8 of the inner part of the split
member 3, 4. Momentum to the arm 6 is resisted by its corners 7,
which are preferably narrower 6b than the bearing part. When the
arm 6 is made from a resilient compressible material, such as
plastic, the corners 7 yield when the arm 6 is pivoted. As the arm
6 is pivoted from one position to the next, the corresponding side
planes 7a are engaged with surface 8. Thus the number of fixed
positions is a function of the number of sides on the polygonal
shape formed on the end of the arm.
* * * * *